After seeing the news that Kate Walsh was returning to Season 19 of Grey's, I got inspired to write some more! So excited to have Addison back! The only thing that would make it better is if they brought Patrick Dempsey back for some flashback scenes involving Addison and Derek! I will always be an Addek shipper! :) Let me know what you think of this chapter and any suggestions you would like to see incorporated into this story!
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The next day went smoothly and soon it was time for Savvy and Wiess to arrive.
"Mom, are you sure Aunt Savvy knows how to get here?" Ellie asked for the 10th time. Addison looked over at Derek, who was sitting in the recliner, and rolled her eyes. She was doing her best not to lose her patience with her daughter's endless questions.
"Ellie, why don't you color Aunt Savvy another picture?" Derek interjects.
"Ok!" The six year old exclaimed and bounced off to her room.
Ten minutes later the doorbell rang. Ellie came running out of her room. "They are here!" she cheered, bouncing up and down. Addison worked away around her daughter and opened the door.
"Aunt Savvy!" Ellie yelled, launching herself into the woman.
"She is really excited you are here." Addison laughed.
"I see that." Savvy replied as she gently set Ellie down. She then turned and gave her best friend a hug.
"Where is the gimp?" Weiss asked as he followed Savvy in carrying the luggage.
"What's a gimp?" Ellie asked, confused.
"That would be me." Derek yelled from the recliner. Ellie looked between her dad and Weiss and shrugged her shoulders. She proceeded to grab Savvy's hand and lead her over the table. While Ellie showed Savvy her drawings, Weiss wandered over to Derek.
"How are you doing?" Weiss asked as he shook Derek's hand and then sat down next to him.
"Never been better, obviously." Derek laughed. The ladies and children then came over to the living room and sat down with the men.
"So what is the prognosis doctor?" Savvy asked, looking Derek up and down. It was a little jarring to him in 2 casts and a back brace. Hearing it on the phone was one thing, but actually seeing it in person was a whole other ball game.
"Eventually I will be back on my feet, but it will be at least a month before the casts can come off and PT can begin." Derek said getting serious. "My back and tailbone will be healed more by then as well."
"Are you sure you shouldn't come back to NY where you have more help?" Weiss asked curiously. This peaked the interest of the children. Addison and Derek exchanged a quick glance. Neither were really sure what to say. They hadn't discussed going back to NY that much.
"Not yet." Addison said quickly. "So, what do you guys want to do in Seattle this weekend?" she continued, changing the subject.
"Whatever you guys want." Savvy smiled.
"Can we go see the property Dad bought?" Apollos interjected. He had heard his parents mention the property but the kids had yet to see it.
"I don't know, Apollos. It is hard for Dad to travel right now." Addison said. Apollos sighed and sat back in the couch. He knew this was going to be a boring weekend of the adults sitting around talking. Derek looked at Apollos and made an impulsive decision.
"Let's go tomorrow." he said. Addison gave him a shocked look. Apollos sat up and looked excited.
"Are you sure?" Addison asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes." Derek exclaimed.
The rest of the evening was spent with the adults catching up. Savvy and Weiss left to go to their hotel with plans to meet the Shepherds the next morning.
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The next morning, it took a lot of maneuvering, but with the help of Nurse Anderson, the entire Shepherd family was able to make it out to Derek's property.
"Dad, this place is awesome!" Khaliel yelled as he jumped out of the car. He then proceeded to trip on the rocks and split open his knee. As he started to cry, Addison tried not to groan. Khaliel was her extremely accident prone son. She didn't have a first aid kit in their rented van.
"Mom! Khaliel needs stitches!" Ellie exclaimed.
"No, he doesn't." Apollos said back. He too was used to his little brother constantly getting scraped up. "He just needs his knee washed and bandaged up." Being the son of 2 doctors had it's advantages as blood did not phase the tween.
"Addison, there is a first aid kit in the kitchen of the trailer." Derek said as he surveyed the situation from his wheelchair. Addison nodded and made her way inside.
As Addison was looking through the drawers in the trailer, she noticed a jacket sitting on the counter. She didn't notice it last time she had been at the trailer, but it was obvious the jacket was a woman's. She felt like she had been slapped in the face with the blatant evidence of her husband's affair.
After finally finding the first aid kit, Addison made her way outside and doctored Khaliel's knee. Soon the boy was good as new.
"Stay where you can see the trailer!" Addison yelled to her kids as they ran towards the lake. She knew they could easily swim but also knew they could get lost in this wilderness!
"I can keep an eye on them if you guys would like to relax." Nurse Anderson offered after helping Derek get in a reclining folding chair. It was obvious that Derek was anything but comfortable but he was also thrilled to be outside on a beautiful late summer day.
"Only if you don't mind." Addison said as she started to chew on her lip. She felt guilty for not watching her own children.
"I would love to. I haven't had much of a chance to get outside lately, so it will be a treat. Besides, I actually know this property very well. You bought it from my grandpa." the young man said.
"Seriously?" Derek asked, shocked. He couldn't believe that the sweet old man who had sold him the property was the grandfather of the nurse who had been bathing him, helping him go to the bathroom, and pretty much doing everything for him.
"Yeah. We played here a lot as kids. We always told my grandpa to build a house here, but he didn't want to disturb the wildlife. The whole family would camp out here on long weekends and fish, hike, and ride ATVs." Anderson continued as he looked out over the land.
"Why did your grandpa sell the land?" Weiss asked as he opened a bottle of water.
"Most of the family has moved away. Even he moved back East with my grandma to be closer to her parents. I am the only family member left in the area, and as much as I love it here, I do not want to maintain it. So my grandpa decided to sell it." he answered. With that, he trotted over to the kids and began skipping rocks in the lake.
"Small world." Savvy laughed. "It is a beautiful place but I can't believe you lived in this tiny trailer!" Derek rolled his eyes as Weiss too laughed. \
Addison remained quiet. The trip inside the trailer had reminded her of why they were in Seattle to begin with..her affair with Mark. Everywhere she looked, she kept thinking about the other woman Derek had brought here. Derek noticed the change in Addison. He kind of wished they were alone so that he could talk to her more. Savvy too seemed to pick up on her best friend's mood.
"Weiss, would you like to join me for a walk by the lake?" Savvy asked as she stood up and stretched. Weiss looked at her questioningly but after being together for so long he knew her looks enough not to say anything. Soon it was just Addison and Derek sitting outside the trailer.
"Addie, what is wrong?" Derek finally asked when his wife remained quiet.
"Nothing." she answered, refusing to look at him. Derek watched as she tapped her foot and messed with her watch. Both were signs he had learned over the years that meant she was annoyed.
"Addison. I have known you for over 15 years. I can tell when something is wrong." Derek countered.
"I found a jacket in the trailer.." Addison sighed, finally looking up at him. Derek knew immediately whose jacket it was. He didn't know what to say.
"Everywhere I look here now, I just keep thinking about how you brought Meredith here." Addison continued.
"That is how I feel about the Brownstone." Derek replied, quietly. Addison took a sip of her water.
"I get that; however, the Brownstone is also full of good memories with our family." she replied. "I also didn't have a full blown relationship."
Neither said anymore. They really didn't know what to say. It was the closest they had come to really talking about their affairs and how they felt in a long time. Derek knew Addison was right. He also knew that despite the many happy memories he had of his family in the Brownstone, the image of his wife and Mark having sex would always be plastered in his head in that house.
"We don't have to keep the trailer." Derek finally said. Addison looked up at him in surprise.
"You would give up the trailer, just like that?" She asked him skeptically. Was he expecting her to say they could give up the Brownstone too?
"Addie, I know things are still going to be messy between us and we have a lot to work on in our relationship, but I can honestly say, you are the most important to me. If this trailer, this land makes you sad, I don't want it." Derek said earnestly. He reached out for her hand, frustrated that he couldn't get up and give her a hug.
Addison gave Derek a small smile as she squeezed his hand.. She knew he loved this land and the trailer. The fact that he had told her they could give it up spoke volumes. Before she could respond, their children were running back up from the lake.
"Can we have lunch now?" All 3 chimed in, oblivious to the heaviness of their parents' conversation.
"Of course." Addison laughed. She got up to unpack the sandwiches, fruit, and chips. Anderson, Savvy, and Weiss also joined the group to eat lunch.
Soon after lunch, it became apparent that Derek needed to return back to the apartment.
"Why don't I go back to the apartment with Derek, hang out with the kids, and you girls can spend some time together?" Weiss suggested.
"That sounds perfect!" Addison and Savvy exclaimed at the same time, causing everyone to laugh.
Later that evening, Savvy and Addison were sitting outside a small cafe eating supper. They had spent the afternoon finding various places to shop. It wasn't New York, but there was also a good amount of high end stores in Seattle, which surprised them both. So far the conversation had been light but Addison could tell something was bothering her friend.
"Savvy, what is wrong?" Addison asked.
"What was wrong back at the trailer?" Savvy asked. Addison took a bite of her food before responding.
"I found Meredith's jacket in the trailer when I went to get the first aid kit." she finally answered. She went on to tell her about the rest of the conversation.
"Wow. That is a lot of such a short amount of time!" Savvy laughed. It sounded like a conversation that could have taken hours but in reality was only about 30 minutes.
"When you have kids, you get used to talking quickly." Addison shrugged. "You will see when you have kids. They always interrupt at the most inopportune times." she laughed. The mood of the table immediately changed.
"What?" Addison asked confused as she saw a pained look cross her friend's face. Savvy looked down at her food before looking up at her best friend. Addison gasped when she saw the tears running down Savvy's face.
"Oh my gosh! Savvy, what's wrong?" Addison exclaimed as she moved over to hug her friend.
"It's ok, Addie." Savvy said as the two pulled away. "I wasn't planning on telling you this here, in the middle of a cafe, but well, I guess now is as good of time as any." Savvy paused and took a deep breath. "Weiss can't have kids.' she blurted out.
Addison stared at her stunned. "Savvy! How long have you known? I can hook you guys up with the best specialist around. We can figure this out!" she rambled.
"Addie, slow down." Savvy laughed. "We have been trying for over a year. We both got tested back in June. We found out that Weiss is completely sterile. There isn't anything to be done."
Suddenly it hit Addison. June was when she had slept with Mark. Her best friend had received devastating news and hadn't told her. Instead, Savvy had done everything she could to help Addison.
"I am so sorry I wasn't there for you!" Addison said as tears started to form in her eyes. "You could have told me."
"Addie, your whole world was falling apart. I couldn't put more on your shoulders." Savvy answered honestly.
"And you are sure there is nothing to be done?" Addison asked. Savvy proceeded to tell her about going to see the 3 best specialists in the country. Addie was surprised they had traveled all over.
"I can get a sperm donor and do IVF, but honestly, I don't think I could handle carrying another man's baby." Savvy finished. "We have already started the process to adopt."
"That's so awesome, Sav!" Addison replied, again hugging her friend.
"It could be awhile." Savvy responded, trying not to get her hopes up.
"I will do whatever you need me to do to help you get your family." Addison said. Just then, Addison's pager went off. It said "Adira 911" "Savvy, I am so sorry, but I have to get to the hospital now." she said, as she quickly got up.
"I know the drill, Addie." Savvy replied. She put money down to cover their bill and followed her friend out to the car. Savvy put directions to the hospital into her GPS while Addison called the hospital. Adira had begun to have seizures. Izzie was running scans and had paged both Addison and Amelia.
"Thank you, Dr. Stevens. I will be there shortly." Addison replied, hanging up the phone.
"Is it one of the twins?" Savvy asked.
"Yes, Adira." Addison replied. Savvy could tell from Addison's reaction just how attached to this little girl her friend was.
"Have you heard any more from the mother?" Savvy asked, curiously.
"No. And I honestly, am not sure what would be the best for all 3 girls. It is such a sad situation all around." Addison replied. By now Savvy was pulling up to the hospital.
"I will get a ride back to the apartment from Amelia. I will see you tomorrow, Sav." Addison said, giving her friend a quick hug before rushing up to the NICU.
By the time Addison got there, Amelia was already reviewing the scans. "She has a new brain bleed. We need to operate right away." the younger Shepherd said.
"Let me get changed and I will meet you in the OR." Addison answered as she walked out of the room. She shot a quick text to Derek explaining what was going on and then went to operate with her sister-in-law.
As Addison stood over the OR table, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief once the hardest part of the surgery was over. She loved this little girl so much already. Deep down, she knew they couldn't adopt the twins if it came to that. It wouldn't be fair to any of the children involved; however, she would do everything she could to help the twins find the perfect home.